The one aspect of Purgatory that took me forever to get over is how backwards it all seemed to be. After all, in Hell, the deeper you travel the worse it becomes. This is a pretty standard set-up and was very unproblematic as the whole idea moved along in a seamless downwards spiral. And then, the mountain!
While I understand that this knowledge is entirely composed of basic video game tendencies, it killed me how the higher you climbed in Purgatory, the easier it all became! Like, huh? I was reading Dante and thinking, "What cheat codes did you apply, sir? 'Cause unless I'm mistaken, a boss battle is in order once you reach the top of this thing!" But, no. Sadly, Dante is not a video game developer.
Instead, he breaks-in each of his characters at the very start of the journey, weeding-out the determined from the dull. Even though everyone in this area is destined for Heaven, those who are more eager to climb reach their final destination much sooner than their lazy colleagues. These adventurous spirits are always rewarded as the closer they come to the top of the mount, the nearer they get to God. As they get closer and closer to their Lord, the journey becomes easier and easier.
Even though it took me a minute to separate this method from that of literally any video game ever produced, Dante's structure does make a lot of sense! Still, it would have been fun to see Dante battle an angel or something to ultimately prove his worth. Like, yeah the mountain was a trial in and of itself, but a little more action could have been entertaining!
Or maybe you could just solve a riddle? Do a little puzzle? Play a fancy song on your harp as your guide gracefully dances around you-- no, wait. That's Skyward Sword . . . Yeah, this isn't the Legend of Zelda, so scratch that idea . . .
Edit - Replied to Brooke Hutcheson and Ian Blair.
Oh, my gosh! Hailey, I never thought of Dante's Inferno like playing a video game with boss levels! It is interesting how each level in Hell is for a certain type of sinner. I wonder if Dante was dividing people based off of how society viewed certain sins. Some sins could be seen as worse than others to society.
ReplyDeleteThis is potentially the best/ most interestingly thought out and most enjoyable commentary of Dante I have read. I like the way you related it to your knowledge of video games, and explained it in such away that someone like me, who has very limited knowledge of video games, could understand perfectly! Well done.
ReplyDeleteI love video games. Maybe Dante was just getting tired of writing encounters, so he just took the easy route. Who knows. It kinda makes sense if you think of it as habitually following God. Because, once someone makes things habitual, it is easier to follow them almost subconsciously. But, that is the only reason I can think of.
ReplyDeleteReading your post, I found myself nodding along to several of the points you made. It would have been for real epic if Dante had to fight a big battle at the top, but no, he had to give us a conclusion of sheer disappointment. Seems a bit backwards for me, because in all actuality, the more we get closer to God, the more Satan will try to throw us curveballs.
ReplyDelete